Weekend Snapshot - August 24

August 24th, 2024

Hey Everyone,

We can't run Northgate without our amazing volunteers! It simply wouldn’t happen. You all are what make this church such a great place to worship! Whether you love working with kids, guiding teens, serving coffee, greeting, managing parking, or helping with worship and tech, WE NEED YOU!

A lot of times, especially in larger churches, people think that they aren’t needed. I can assure you that is not the case here. Every single area of ministry that we have would be better, and could be better, if we had more volunteers. As our kids' and youth ministries continue to grow, our need for volunteers will continually increase as well.

The other thing that I regularly hear from people is that they don’t volunteer because they are afraid that if they do, they will be stuck in that area for life. I always want to assure people of two things. First, we would love for you to try out a few areas to see what is a good fit for you. If you don’t love where you are serving, it’s not the best for us or for you to keep you there. We will help you keep looking until you find the place that is the best fit for you. Second, people are afraid (usually from past experiences) that if they volunteer, they will be stuck there until they die or find someone to replace them. Again, that isn’t how we want to operate here. No position is forever, including your volunteer position. When the time comes to move on to something else, we will let you do that guilt-free.

Are you ready to say yes? Check out the serving opportunities that are needed in the lobby.

See you this weekend,

Pastor John
Lead Pastor

CELEBRATION CORNER
Supply Drive Success!

In just the first week of our Salvation Army School Supply Drive, our church community has shown incredible generosity and love. We've already collected an amazing array of supplies for students in need, from UPK to 12th grade.

Here’s what we’ve gathered so far:

37 Pencil Packages
27 Colored Pencil Packages
27 Pen Packages
36 Crayon Boxes
18 Highlighter Packages
22 Scissor Packages
21 Glue Stick Packages
22 Binders
88 Notebooks
12 Fully Packed Book Bags

These supplies will be distributed by the Salvation Army to help equip kids in our community for the upcoming school year!
This is amazing—thank you for making such an incredible impact!

Need To Knows

This Weekend:

Weekend Worship Services — Saturday, 6:00pm, Sunday, 9:30am & 11:00am — This weekend we be the second message in our three-week Faith & Culture series.
Sunday Morning Prayer Group — Sunday, 9:30am — Meeting Room 4 — Join this faithful group that prays together for our weekend services and much more!
Liturgical Worship — Sunday, 10:00am — Arbor House (350 Bank Street) — Lead by Pastor Chris Landon they will be continuing their series from the book of Judges.
No Middle School & High School Base this Sunday. This group will resume meeting on Sunday, September 1.
Salvation Army School Supply Drive — This Sunday is the drop-off deadline!

The Week Ahead:

Pickleball — Did you know that we have several groups playing all levels of pickleball at our South Campus during the week? The best way to get connected is to download the TeamReach app and then used the Group Code: B5225K for the Batavia Pickleball Club.
Celebrate Recovery — Thursday, 7:00pm — This group meets together weekly at our Northgate Campus to work through hurts, habits, and hangups. New people are always welcome!
Spanish Class — Wednesday, 12:00pm — Rosalina leads a Spanish class in the Guest Lounge on Wednesdays for anyone interested in improving their Spanish language skills. All levels of knowledge are welcome, including beginners! Weather permitting several group members also visit the prayer walk after class. They would love to have you join them!

Coming Up:

Northgate 101 — Sunday, September 1, 9:30am-12:00pm — Are you interested in learning more about Northgate and possibly becoming a member? This class will cover those topics! Email office@northgatefmc.com to reserve your spot.
Fall Kickoff — Saturday, September 7 & Sunday, September 8 — Our official fall kickoff weekend is just four weeks away!
Midweek Base Kickoff — Wednesday, September 11, 6:00pm-8:00pm, at our South Campus (350 Bank Street). For those in Grades 5-12. We will have pizza, snacks, and ice cream sandwiches to celebrate the kickoff and welcome our 5th grade students!
Primetimers — Thursday, September 12, 12:00pm — Primetimers is a group of 55+ year olds who get together once a month for lunch and learning. Save the date and keep an eye out for more information.
Man Camp — Friday, September 13 - Saturday, September 14 - It’s our third annual Man Camp in Northgate’s big backyard. Registration will be required and is available here
Justice Summit — Thursday, September 19 - Saturday, September 21 — Join me for the Free Methodist Justice Network Summit at Pearce Memorial FMC in North Chili. Learn more here. Registration is available here.